Missouri Governor Says He’s Prepared to Use National Guard in Ferguson Again

By ELI YOKLEY and MONICA DAVEY NOV. 11, 2014


Missouri May Use National Guard Again

As Ferguson awaits a decision on whether a police officer will face charges in the shooting death of Michael Brown, Gov. Jay Nixon said the National Guard could be deployed to protect against violence.

Video by AP on Publish Date November 11, 2014. Photo by Associated Press.



Graphic: Q. and A.: What Happened in Ferguson?

WELDON SPRING, Mo. — As the region around St. Louis awaited a grand jury’s return, Gov. Jay Nixon on Tuesday pledged that law enforcement authorities would not permit violence, and that the Missouri National Guard was part of a contingency plan.

“I’m prepared to issue that order,” Mr. Nixon said of the possibility of calling up the guard, as he did in August, when protests over the shooting of an unarmed black man by a white Ferguson police officer grew violent. The role of the guard during the protests was limited to protecting a police command post, though it drew strong criticism from demonstrators who argued that it was a sign of a militarized police presence.

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All around the region, people have been bracing for the grand jury’s decision, expected in the next few weeks, on whether the police officer, Darren Wilson, will face charges. The shooting led to months of demonstrations and placed Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis, at the center of a national debate about police procedures and race.

Among some in Ferguson, there is an expectation that Officer Wilson, will not face serious charges for shooting Michael Brown, who was 18 and had recently finished high school.

 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/us...gain.html?_r=0